Patentable/Patents/US-8152402
US-8152402

Flexible peripheral device positioner

PublishedApril 10, 2012
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A peripheral positioner includes a plurality of links that are rotatably coupled to one another. The peripheral positioner can be used to position a peripheral device on various surfaces and/or objects.

Patent Claims
5 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A peripheral positioner, comprising: a first link having a first end, a second end, and a mount for a peripheral device, the mount defining a through-hole; a second link having a first end and a second end; a third link having a first end and a second end; a first pin having a longitudinal axis, the first pin rotatably coupling the second end of the first link to the first end of the second link such that a rotation axis of the first link and the second link is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first pin; a second pin having a longitudinal axis, the second pin rotatably coupling the second end of the second link to the first end of the third link such that a rotation axis of the second link and the third link is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second pin, the rotation axis of the first link, and the longitudinal axis of the first pin; a weighted link heavier than either the first link, the second link, or the third link, the weighted link rotatably coupled to the third link or a series of one or more intermediate links rotatably coupled to the third link; and a flexible polymer membrane fully encapsulating the first link, the second link, the third link, the weighted link, the first pin, and the second pin while leaving the through-hole open, the flexible polymer membrane seamlessly extending through and around an entire inner surface of the mount defining the through hole, the flexible polymer membrane including a positioning protrusion extending away from the first link; the peripheral positioner adjustable between a tabletop mounting configuration where at least the first link, the second link, the third link, and the weighted link are configured to maintain a C-shaped arrangement to support a peripheral device above a surface on which the weighted link is resting and a display mounting configuration where the positioning protrusion catches a top front edge of a display while the weighted link extends behind the display to support the peripheral device on top of the display.

2

2. The peripheral positioner of claim 1 , where one or more of the first link, the second link, and the third link defines one or more through-holes, and where the flexible polymer membrane infiltrates the through-holes to join opposing sides of the flexible polymer membrane.

3

3. The peripheral positioner of claim 1 , wherein an interface between the first link, the second link, and the first pin has sufficient rotational interference to hold the second link in a fixed position relative to the first link under a load from a peripheral device.

4

4. The peripheral positioner of claim 1 , where at least the first link, the second link, the third link, and the weighted link are configured to maintain a pinching arrangement to attach a peripheral device to a display behind which the weighted link is positioned and in front of which the first link extends.

5

5. The peripheral positioner of claim 1 , where the flexible polymer membrane includes a substantially flat portion and where the positioning protrusion extends away from the substantially flat portion, the substantially flat portion and the positioning protrusion collectively forming an inside corner adjacent to the first link that cooperates with another link of the peripheral positioner to pinch an object to which a peripheral device is to be attached.

Classification Codes (CPC)

Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

May 6, 2008

Publication Date

April 10, 2012

Want to explore more patents?

Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.

Citation & reuse

Analysis on this page is generated by Patentable — an AI-powered patent intelligence platform. AI-generated summaries, explanations, and analysis may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL below. Patent abstracts and claims are USPTO public domain.

Cite as: Patentable. “Flexible peripheral device positioner” (US-8152402). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8152402

© 2026 Patentable. All rights reserved.

Patentable is a research and drafting-assistant tool, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Documents we generate are drafts for review by a licensed patent attorney.